Combined harvester and separator



` (N0 MOfBL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. L. SLATTON. COMBINED HARVESTER AND SEPARATOR.

Patented July 20, 1897.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. L. SLATTON.

. i COMBINED HARVESTER AND SEEAEATOE.

Patented July 20,1897.

.E El l Ef Q- g;

WE IM H1* *i A| nll mi; f Hi Unrrnn *STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN LOSSON SLATTON, OF NEVARK, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JESSE D. GOFF, OF SPARTA, TENNESSEE.

COMBINED HARVESTER AND` SEPARATOR.

SPECIFICATION' forming part of Letters Patent No. 586,782, dated July 20, 1897.

Application led March 24', 1896. Serial NoA 684,692. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom z't 77u14/ concern: several views of the accompanying drawings Beit known that I, JOHN LOSSON SLATTON, by the same reference-characters. a citizen of the United States, residing at The frame of the machine, which may be Newark, in the county of W'hite and State of of suitable construction to support the oper- 5 Tennessee, have invented a new and useful ating parts, comprises longitudinal beams l,

Combined Harvester and Separator for Peas, cross-beams 2, uprights 3, and braces 4,0011- Beans, tbc., of which the following is a specinecting the upper ends of the uprights 3 with iication. the longitudinal beams l near the front ends This invention aims to provide a machine of the latter. 6o

, 1o for harvesting, threshing', and separating The pole or tongue 5 is applied to the frame peas, beans, buckwheat, duc., and which will to admit of the team drawing the machine perform the several operations thoroughly over the iield without trampling' down the andfeiteetively and which can be drawn over vines or grain. An axle 6 is journaled in the leld by a single horse or team and will be hangers 7, pendent from the f rame, and is pro- 65 z 5 light-running, compared with the nature and vided with ground-wheels S, one of the latter character of work to be performed. forming the driverand adapted to be clutched One of the main objects is t0 have the opto the axle when required, so that the opererating parts adjustable, so that the machine ating parts may receive motion when the macan be adapted to the bulk of the harvest and chine is performing service. 7o zo to the character thereof, and to have the ma- A half-clutch 9 is mounted upon the end chine at all times under the control of the portion of the axle adjacent to the drivedriver, so that it can be thrown into or out of wheel in such a manner as to turn with the gear at a moments notice to avoid injury to axle, but free to have a movement to and the operating parts under abnormal condifrom the drive-wheel, so as to engage with a 75 5 tions. matchin clutch on the hub of the drive- For a full understanding' of the merits and wheel when it is desired to impart motion to advantages of the invention reference is to the actuating mechanisms when the machine be had to the accompanying drawings and the is traveling. A lever l0 is suitably fulfollowing description. crumed upon the frame, and its rear end is 8o 3o The improvement is susceptible of various operatively connected with the half-clutch 9, changes in the form, proportion, and the miand its front end is within convenient reach nor details of construction without departing of the driver, so as to be operated to throw from the principle or sacrificing any of the the machine in or out of gear by moving the advantages thereof, and to a full disclosure half-clutch 9 toward the companion clutch on 8 5 3 5 of the invention an adaptation thereof is the drive-wheel or away from the drive-wheel, shown in the accompanying drawings, in as will be readily understood. A twin which-- sprocket gear-wheel 1l is placed upon the Figure l is a side elevation of a machine axle 6, and motion is transmitted therefrom for attaining the objects of this invention. to the harvesting and separatingmechanisms 9o 4o Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof, parts being by sprocket chains and gearing in a manner broken away and the housing of the reel which hereinafter will be more fully exomitted. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal plained. section about on the line X X of Fig. 2. Fig. Two side pieces or frames l2 are mounted 4 is a detail section on the line Y Y of Fig. at one end upon the'axle G, and their oppo- 95 45 Fig. 5 is a detail view showing the instrusite or front ends receive andk support the mentalit-ies for adjusting the resistance bar stripping or harvesting mechanism, the lator plate. Fig. G is a detail view of a port-ion ter consisting of a reel 13 and a resistance of the harvesting or stripping mechanism on bar or plate li, the latter being located bea larger scale. low the active ends of the reel members and roo 5o Corresponding parts are referred to in the acting in opposition to the latter to strip the following description and indicated in the pods and grain from the vines and stalks.

The side pieces 12 are of triangular shape and are constructed from bar iron or steel and are placed with their angles toward the rear end of the machine and so as to receive the axle in or at the angles and with their wider ends facing the front end of the machine. Bearings 15 are applied to the upper front ends of the frames 12 and receive the journals of the reel 13, and the resistance bar or plate 14 has connection with the front portion of the lower members of the said frames 12. This resistance bar or plate 14 is preferably of wood, and its front edge is reinforced by a strip of hard and tough wood or a bar of metal to resist the wear attendant upon the stripping of the pods and grain from the vines and stalks. Spurs 16 are provided at the front edge of the part 14 and tend to facilitate the operation of harvesting or stripping, and these spurs may be located any required distance apart and be of any desired length as found best adapted for the purpose, and in some instances they may be dispensed with altogether.

The front edge of the part 14 is located forward of a plane passing perpendicularly through the axis of the reel 13, and a slight space exists between the active elements of the reel and the said front edge of the part 14, and this space can be varied according to the character of the harvest, and to attain this result the part 14 is ad justably connected with the lower members of the frames 12 and is formed near its edges with a series of openings 17 to receive the bolts 1S, by means of which the connection is effected.

In order to adapt the harvesting mechanism to the height of the vines or grain, means are provided to adjust the same vertically, and, as shown, the same consist of a shaft 19, hav- 'ing grooved wheels 2O near its ends and a grooved wheel 21 at one end, chains or cords 22 connecting the grooved wheels 2O with the front ends of the lower members of the side frames 12, a second shaft 23 having a radiusbar 24 at its outer end which is connected with the grooved wheel 21 and a lever 25 at the inner end of the shaft 23 and provided with the usual hand-latch 26 to take into a notched segment 27, whereby the lever 25 and the parts connected therewith are held in the located position'. The lever 25 is readily accessible from the drivers seat 23 and when operated serves to raise and lower the harvesting mechanism through the connections just described.

The reel 13 comprises a shaft and radial arms, the arms at one side of the machine being in transverse alinement with the correchain 3l connects one of the twin sprocketgears 11 with a sprocket-pinion 32 on a journal or the shaft of the reel 13, thereby driving the latter directly from the axle.

A thresher is located at the rear end of the machine and comprises a toothed cylinder 33 'and a breast 34, having teeth on its upper side to act in opposition to the teeth of the cylinder to effect the threshing. These parts 33 and 34 are suitably housed, the bottom 35 of the housing being rearwardly and downward] y inclined and terminating opposite the space between the cylinder and breast, so as to direct the pods and grain to the threshing mechanism. The housing may be properly designated as a hopper which receives the peas, beans, duc., to be threshed, an elevator 36 being employed to transfer the harvest from the stripping mechanism to the threshing provisions. This elevator is of ordinary construction, comprising a belt, of either canvas or leather, provided at intervals with slats or buckets 37 to engage with and lift the peas, beans, ttc., as will be readily comprehended. The roller 38 for supporting the upper end of the elevator is journaled at the front end of the hopper or housing of the threshing mechanism, and the roller 39 for supporting the lower portionof the elevator -is journaled in bearings attached to the lower members of the side frames 12. Thus it will be seen that the lower end of the elevator maintains a fixed relation to the side frames 12 and moves therewith.

To allow for the adjusting of the harvesting mechanism, the elevator is adapted to be lengthened and shortened, this result being effected by having the elevator separated transversely and having the separated ends overlapping and adapted to be secured together by straps h or lacing in the usual way. The resistance bar or plate 14 inclines rearwardly and downwardly, so as to direct the pods or grain to the receiving end of the elevator, and in order to prevent the escape of the peas a strip 40, of leather or other suitable material, is interposed between the lower end of the elevator and the part 14, so as to extend across and close the gap between these elements.

A separator is disposed below and in the rear of the threshing mechanism and comprises approximately horizontal screens 41 and 42 and an inclined screen 43, the latter being placed below the screens 41 and 42 and inclining forwardly and downwardly from its rear end and terminating in the rear of a transversely-disposed spout 44, by means of which the shelled peas, beans, &c., are delivered at one side of the machine into a suitable receptacle placed to receive them.

The screens 41 and 42 are connected and pendently supported and in effect constitute a shoe and receive a reciprocating motion, the latter being imparted thereto by means ofa crank 45, provided on a shaft 46, the latter receiving its motion from one of the twin IOO IIO

gears ll by means of a sprocket-chain 47. This sprocket chain 47 passes around a sprocket-gear 48 on the shaft 46. The screen 4l is of sheet metal, preferably galvanized iron, having approximately semicircular openings through which the peas, beans, the., and the small particles of the hulls pass, and the screen 42 has openings of smaller size to separate the larger pieces of hulls, the openings being of such size as to admit of the largest-sized peas, beans, the., passing therethrough. The screen 43 is of iine wire interlaced to provide meshes for the escape of broken peas, the. The screen 4l is slightly elevated at its rear end and the screen 42 correspondingly depressed, as this disposition of the parts has been found to give the best resuits. A fan 40 is located opposite the space formed between the front ends of the screens 42 and 43, and its shaft or journal is extended at one end and supplied with a pulley 50 to receive a drive-belt 5l, which passes around a corresponding pulley 52 on the shaft or extended journal of the threshing-cylinder 33, whereby motion is imparted to the fan from the threshing-cylinder. A sprocket-pinion 53 is secured upon the opposite end of the shaft or extended journal of the threshingcylinder and a sprocket-chain 54 connects it with a sprocket gear-wheel 55 on the shaft 46, thereby serving to impart motion to the threshing-cylinder from the said shaft 46.

The opera-tion of the machine maybe briefly stated as follows: The harvesting or stripping mechanism being adjusted to suit the height of the product to be harvested, the machine is dra-wn over the field so that the vines or grain will en with the front edge of the resistance bar or plate 14 and the reel 13 rotating will cause its slats 29 to engage with the product and strip the same from the vines or stalks, and the pods or heads of grain falling upon the part 14 will gravitate to the lower rear end thereof and be taken up by the elevator and carried to the threshing mechanism, which after performing its part of the operation will discharge the threshed product onto the topmost separating-screen, which latter, in conjunction with the fan 49, will separate and clean the product in the manner previously described, and the product being received into the spout 44 will be conveyed to a receptacle for its reception.

It will be understood that a sufiicient space must exist between the part 14 and the active edges of the slats 2Q to prevent injury to the product being harvested, and in order to guard against the reel carrying the product forward its upper portion is protected by a housing 50.

The elevator is operated from the shaft 4G by means of a belt 58, passing over a pulley 59 on the said shaft 4U and around a pulley 57 on an extended journal or shaft of the roller 3S.

To prevent the peas from falling off the sides of the elevator, side pieces GO, ot sheet metal or wood, are provided and attached so as not to interfere with the vertical adjustments of the frames l2.

The side pieces GO are loosely mounted at their upper ends upon the journals of the roller 38 and their lower ends have longitudinal slots a to receive the journals of the roller 39, whereby provision is had for the adjustment of the side frames 12 when it is required to raise or lower the harvesting or stripping mechanism.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new isl. ln a machine for harvesting peas, beans, the., the combination of a relatively-fixed frame, a frame carrying the harvesting devices vertically adjustable with relation to the fixed frame, an elevator having its upper roller supported by the fixed frame and its lower roller by the adjustable frame, and means for varying the length of the elevator to adapt it to the distance between its supporting-rollers, substantially as set forth.

2. In a machine forharvesting peas, beans, &c., the combination of a relatively fixed frame, a second frame having independent vertical adjustment and comprising similarly-formed side pieces, a resistance bar or plate connecting the lower front ends of the side pieces and having a rearwardly and downwardly inclined portion forming a pocket at its rear end7 a reel journaled to the upper front ends of the side pieces and cooperating with the resistance-bar to strip the peas, duc., from the vines and force them into the said pocket, a roller applied to the fixed frame, a second roller carried by and movable with the adjustable frame, and a carrier-belt capable of being len gthened and shortened supported by the said rollers, substantially as shown for the purpose described.

3. In a harvesting-machine, the combination of a relatively-fixed frame, an axle provided with ground-wheels supporting the frame, a second frame comprising side pieces formed of bars bent into an approximately triangular shape and loosely mounted at their rea-r ends or angles upon the said axle, means for vertically adjusting the front end of the second frame, a resistance-bar having adjustable connection. with the forward portions of the lower members of the side pieces, and having a rear extension terminating in a pocket, a reel cooperating with the resistancebar and journaled to the front ends of the upper members of the said side pieces, and an elevator capable of being lengthened and shortened supported on a roller carried by the fixed frame and by a roller carried by and movable with the adjustable frame, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. A machine for harvesting peas, beans, the., comprising a frame, an elevated thresher and separator in connected relation, side pieces pivotally supported at their rear ends upon the axle, a reel and resistance-bar supported at the front end of the said side pieces,

IOO

IIO

means for adjusting the pivoted side pieces In testimony that I elairn the foregoing as at their front ends, an elevator journaled at my own I have hereto affixed my signature in 1o its lower end to the adjustable side pieces and the presence of two Witnesses.

at its upper end to the thresher, and means f for lengthening and shortening the elevator JOHN LOSSON SLA FTON to adapt it to the Varying distance between lVitnesses: its upper and lower supporting-rollers, sub- J. W. AUSTIN, stantially as set forth. J. D. GOFF. 

